Claudine Swinton-Lee

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Dip.Psych (MBACP - Psychotherapist)
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

Tooting SW17 & London SW4
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

About me

Hi there - I am a psychodynamic psychotherapist offering confidential and down to earth counselling on a short and long term basis. I have been in full time private practise for 12 years now and hope that I make sessions useful, interesting - and enjoyable where possible. My basic orientation as a therapist lies in the recognition of how the past (distant or most recent) effects present behaviour, attitude and choice (not always in the way we would ideally like or wish) and, therefore, determines the future (thus perpetuating negative 'cycles' of experience) Therapy is a joint endeavour which aims to help people become free of such patterns or responses that cause unhappiness. It is the process by which we bring conscious awareness to aspects of ourselves that have remained hitherto unknown and offers an insight into why certain events effect us in difficult ways. Although therapy is not 'magic' and requires commitment and dedication, I am happy to say that clients who finish their therapy with me leave with a new bank of self-knowledge, clarification of issues and lifelong tools all acquired through their attendance - and, most importantly, repetitive cycles of unhappy experience broken.

I am very lucky in that I have met with a multitude of people over the years so I am accustomed and thoroughly enjoy making the acquaintance of clients from diverse and varied backgrounds, and with both men and women. I have been told that I am easy to speak with and I make attending sessions easier then had been anticipated. I am happy to receive a call in a first instance to answer any questions you may have. I am currently working solely online via zoom or skype and hope to return to face to face sessions next year.

About Psychotherapy Sessions 

In our first session, we will clarify what your expectations and goals are. An initial consultation allows us an introduction which will enable you to decide whether or not you would like to continue working with me. We will speak about what the catalyst has been in making an appointment and, as you explain, I will also describe to you in what ways therapy may help you, personally, resolve certain problems, the obstacles that may stand in our way of achieving this sometimes (how part of my job is to make this as less difficult as possible) and how through your 'free association' (talking in an environment without being judged) we will discover certain beliefs and thoughts that up until now may have remained 'unknown' yet which have had a 'dynamic' and negative effect on life (i.e psychodynamic understanding)

Through your narrative, that is to say material based on factual word from yourself within our sessions, I will offer explanations and interpretations which are coincidental with realisations being made from week to week, and which bring clarity and understanding to what previously may have appeared confusing and inescapable. Through application of what is being experienced and made sense of in therapy, therefore, we will see certain changes occur. We call this process 'working through'. Seeing life and oneself in new ways will bring, it is hoped, empowerment, confidence and, ultimately, skills to remain calm and happy - even in the more (and inevitable) challenging times presented by life.

Psychotherapy rests on the premise that 'bottled up' feelings are the basis to the formation of 'symptoms'/issues experienced - everything from 'feeling stuck', angry, sad, and 'low' to ocd, phobias, depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties and so on. It is in the 'making conscious' bit of therapy, without judgement, that restorative work can be accomplished, and how we see problems eventually diminish and disappear. In short it is the 'freeing' (the verbalisation) of uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, that whilst not articulated and resolved finds expression in 'symptoms' and difficulties. Hard won at times perhaps but an incredible and worthwhile undertaking.

I hope that provides a little bit of an idea as to what to expect. I was a reluctant guest to online therapy, but I have found it to be the same, and as effective overall, as meeting clients face to face. For now I intent to remain online but do hope to resume face to face in 2022.

Any further questions on the above, please feel free to call and I will be happy to explain further,


Training, qualifications & experience

*Psychodynamic Psychotherapy P.G Diploma 2006 (WCFP - 5 year training programme)
*private full time practise since 2009

*Certificate in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

*Certificate in Hypnosis

MBACP - Member British Association Of Counselling and Psychotherapy (Certificate of Proficiency held)

Registrant of National Counselling Society

Member organisations

BACP
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)

BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred).

Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).

Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision.

Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training.

All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.

Accredited register membership

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
Accredited Register Scheme

The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).

This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy

Other areas of counselling I deal with

I am particularly familiar in meeting with clients who experience anxiety, anger, low esteem, depression, difficult relationships within the family (both parental and sibling), romantic/attachment issues, phobic and ocd symptomalogy, sexuality difficulties, medically unexplained symptoms, workplace relationships, demotivation, insomnia and a general feeling of unease and dissatisfaction with life.

Fees

£65.00 per session

Additional information

50 minute appointments.





When I work

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Night

Availability does open up periodically so please do enquire by mail and I will update on current diary bookings.

Further information

I adhere to BACP's Ethical Framework guidelines, their audit process (audited 2021) and receive ongoing monthly clinical supervision (I have full professional indemnity insurance)

Most Recent Research

Carolyn Spring; 'Shame' - online webinar series

Working With Trauma In A Time Of Trauma

The Voice Of Addiction; Challenging The Destructive Thought Process - online webinar - Dr. Lisa Firestone

Scheduled - November 2021 CBT FOR OCD - 2 day online course

Short Courses/Workshops

Working With Self Harm and Suicide (Carolyn Spring)

Working With Dissociative Disorders In Clinical Practise (Carolyn Spring)

Running Mindfulness Groups

Working With Gender Dysphoria (Michelle Bridgeman)

Trauma, Dissociation and Recovery (Carolyn Spring)

Positive Outcomes For Dissociative Survivors (Carolyn Spring)

Waterfall House, 223, Tooting High Street, Tooting, London, SW17 0TD

Type of session

Online

Types of client

Young people
Adults
Older adults

Online platforms

Skype
Zoom

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